R3 TEAM THREAD: Team #1 ~ Published Enemy #1

[Thenia]

I'm listening to Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward for the Fantasy Paranormal shelf. So far I like it - Vishous is a very interesting character.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Josie, I keep meaning to read that one. I've managed to move it up on the TBR list at least. :)

Yay, Thenia! I love V and in audio .... hubba, hubba. ;) Enjoy!

[Suzanne]

- *****

I finsihed Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Definately 5 stars!! This book was amazing, it was as good as The Help! I don't want to spoil it for everyone, but I liked the justice at the end.

[Thenia]

Finished Lover Unbound!

by J.R. Ward
Date Finished: 23 September 2011
Stars: ****

Review:
Vishous is an interesting character whose mind we get to pick in this book. We learn about his past and the things that made him who he is. He has his whole life turned upside down twice over in this book and that changes him again.

Jane is a nice fit for him, though a little too dimensional. I really don't like the Scribe(view spoiler)Virgin and her band of colorless nitwits, but at least they can be justified if only a little. I also liked the fact that there were no lesser point of view parts in this one.

Apart from the dramatics and over the top dialogue at times, it was a nice fun read. We got a few glimpses into Phurry and John's minds, as well - preludes to what's to come in the next books.

The next one is Phurry's, but as with every book in this series, I'm not going to read it straight away - my drama quota is reached for the time.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Our Next Shelf is: 'first in series'
DIRECT LINK: 'first in series'

Happy Reading!

[Alyssa]

I'll be reading for the first in series space, I think.

[Josie]

I'll be reading either or to try to clear up some challenge books, or more likely, I'll find myself in the mood to read about some dragons and pick

[Thenia]

I read Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas for the read in 2010 shelf.



Date finished: 25 September 2011
Rating: ****

Review:
Derek is a very dark, tortured character that has been fighting for everything his whole life. He's managed to become quite wealthy, but he's still not satisfied with what he has or accepted in "good society". Sara is an unusual, opinionated woman that saves his life and ends up changing him fundamentally.

Their story is a sweet one, full of obstacles to be overcome and the hero getting in his own way unable to accept his past. The bit of mystery was not all that surprising and didn't fail to fall into the cliche of having to lose something to fully appreciate it.

All in all a fun read.

Now I'm all caught up and ready to find a book for the first in series shelf - although it goes against my plans of not starting a new series until I finish a couple of the ones I'm currently reading. Mr. Randomizer is evil and an enabler!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Mr R is certainly that Thenia. LOL

[Kristen]

Shelf: First in the Series 9/25

Members:
1. Vi: Cry Wolf ★★★★ 9/30
2. Josie: Pleasure Unbound★★★1/2 10/2
3. Kristen: The Iron King ★★★ 9/30
4. Suzanne: Unholy Ghosts ★★★★★ 10/2
5. Thenia: Half-Blood ★★★★ 9/30
6. Alyssa: Numbers

[Kristen]

I think I'm going to read:

[Alyssa]

Kristen wrote: "I think I'm going to read: "

Oooh. I'm super jealous, Kristen. I've heard that series is really good.

[Cindy (eclecticfirefly)]

Ooooohhhh Alyssa - when you are finished with you can always post it to me on PBS......it's on my WL......just sayin!

[Alyssa]

Lol. Of course. :-)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

LOL Thenia! He is wicked that way.

Alyssa, I'll be looking forward to your review. I've had that one for a while, but haven't gotten to it yet.

[Alyssa]

I think it sounds really interesting. I'm excited to read it.

[Suzanne]

I'll be reading Some Girls Bite for the First in Series Shelf!

[Suzanne]

Divine By Mistake is one of my favorite books of all time! I highly recommend it!

[Suzanne]

Nevermind, I'm reading Unholy Ghosts instead!

[Kristen]

Suzanne wrote: "I'll be reading Some Girls Bite for the First in Series Shelf!"

I love Chloe Neill's books. I've read them all and they don't disappoint.

[Suzanne]

Couldn't get Some Girls Bite in time from the library so I started Unholy Ghosts instead, it is definately on my To Read Soon list!

[Vi]

My life's sooo craaazy now. I have some shortlisted for the first in series shelf but I haven't finalized which one yet. I will try to get the book done before the next shelf is called.

[Thenia]

I'm reading Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout for the first-in-series shelf. I was looking forward to it so I guess I'm not that mad at Mr. Randomizer anymore. :P

[Josie]

Oh I'm looking forward to that one too, Thenia! I'll look out for your review :)

[Kristen]

Finished:
Review: In this one, Elena works on using her wings...can she fly? She and Raphael have to prepare themselves for a meeting with Lijuan and try to figure out what is going on with her and the undead. I still want a Raphael of my own. The details of her fight scenes and her scenes with Raphael are exquisitely detailed. Loved it, but I liked the first one better.
Rating: 4 stars
Date: 9/28/11

[Kristen]

Steph!!!

We've finished the Read-in-2010 shelf.

Thanks!!!

[Alyssa]

Ummm.... Kristen. I haven't finished my Read-in-2010 book yet. So that you know. :-(

[Thenia]

I finished Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout!


Date finished: 30 September 2011
Rating: ★★★★

Review: A very promising new series!

After reading the prequel I wanted to jump right into the first book. It didn't disappoint. The writing is simple but effective, the feelings develop naturally between the characters who are realistic and far from perfect.

Alex makes a few irrational (and kind of stupid) decisions, but her reasons are understandable. Aiden is a bit of a mystery, since we only know a few facts about what happened in his past to shape him into the man he is. Looking forward to see how the two of them develop. I cannot decide if I am for or against a relationship between the two but the allure of the forbidden is there and it's tangible throughout the book.
Seth is another story altogether. He comes out as arrogant and a little spoiled but with perfectly good reasons for it. I enjoyed reading about him so it's a good thing there'll be a lot more of him in the next book.

All in all a satisfying first book that introduces us to a new world (it does have a lot of similarities with another well-known series, but it has raw potential so it's tolerable. Plus, it's a recipe tried and loved!) and characters full of possibilities and hard choices ahead of them. I hope the next book will keep up the momentum!

[Vi]

I finished for the first-in-series shelf today (1 Oct)
Rating: ★★★★
Review: I'm sleepy, so it's probably not going to make much sense. Loved this book. My first re-read since I read the prequel in the On The Prowl anthology accidentally. A different take on the werewolf which I enjoyed. I'm rooting for Anna - it's nice to someone live despite the stuff done to them.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Our Next Shelf is: 'urban fantasy'
DIRECT LINK: 'urban fantasy'

Still no winner yet!  Mr. R isn't ready for the game to stop, I guess.
Happy Reading!

[Vi]

Yay! Finally we get four-in-a-row. I know another team is also getting a four-in-a-row due to this. Gotta keep this shelf priority then. I'll come back with the choices.

[Vi]

Haha, someone has shelved as urban fantasy. I might be going with this book. Steph, hope ya don't mind this (since I feel like I'm cheating :P)

[Kristen]

Alyssa wrote: "Ummm.... Kristen. I haven't finished my Read-in-2010 book yet. So that you know. :-("

Alyssa: What were you going to read? I wonder if I put something in the wrong place. Let me know.

[Kristen]

Finished my first in series on 9/30. (My kids keep taking the computer!!!)

Book:
Stars: 3
Review: Kagawa gets extremely descriptive in this book, especially with Faery and the creatures that inhabit it. I was a bit bored with the story...sister has to find her brother and fight the bad guys. I think I might be getting tired of YA and paranormal/fantasy right now. I'm not sure if I'll read the rest of the series.

[Kristen]

Shelf: Urban Fantasy
Date: 10/2

Members:
1. Vi: Rosemary and Rue★★★ 10/4
2. Josie: Something Secret This Way Comes ★★★★ 10/14
3. Kristen: City of Ashes★ 10/7
4. Suzanne: Unholy Magic ★★★★ 10/13
5. Thenia: Lover Enshrined ★★★★ 10/3
6. Alyssa: Ill Wind ★★★★★ 10/16

[Kristen]

My Urban-Fantasy pick:

[Alyssa]

Kristen wrote: "Alyssa wrote: "Ummm.... Kristen. I haven't finished my Read-in-2010 book yet. So that you know. :-("

Alyssa: What were you going to read? I wonder if I put something in the wrong place. Let me k..."

You have the right book. I just haven't read it yet.

[Alyssa]

I'm going to read for the Urban Fantasy chip.

[Kristen]

Alyssa wrote: "Kristen wrote: "Alyssa wrote: "Ummm.... Kristen. I haven't finished my Read-in-2010 book yet. So that you know. :-("

Alyssa: What were you going to read? I wonder if I put something in the wrong ..."

Thanks! I wonder what I did to make myself think it was read.

[Josie]

For first-in-series:



Title/Author: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
Date finished: 2 October 2011
Rating: ★★★1/2
Review: I maybe expected a little too much of this book. I went in having heard really good things (in league with BDB and PC series) and have been waiting about a year to read it so I do feel a bit guilty for this not being a 5 star read. Plus, I haven't been 100% so that might have put a dampener on my enjoyment. I didn't like the beginning and I think that's due to not liking Tayla. She really annoyed me. Having said that, I didn't mind her so much as the story progressed and the middle/ending was really good so that made up for the start. I think this series will grow on me so I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

[Suzanne]

For First-in-Series:

Title/Author: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
Date Finished: October 2nd, 2011
Rating: *****
Review: I loved this book! I like when the main characters are flawed and are innocents. This character was not a naive innocent, she was a drug addict and an adrenaline junkie. Most of the trouble she got into was mainly her own fault but she dealt with it very well. I liked the world that was created in the story even though it wasn't explained very well in the beginning. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series though!

[Suzanne]

I'll be reading Unholy Magic for the Urban Fantasy shelf.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

:) That worked out well, Suzanne. Glad you're enjoying the series.

[Thenia]

I read Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward for the Urban Fantasy shelf.



Date Finished: 03 October 2011
Stars: ★★★★
Review:

Phury's really messed up! It may not be visible on first sight like it was with Zadist, but he really is messed up. The circumstances of his life have twisted his way of thinking and reacting to everything. It was a long way for him to hit rock bottom and finally start getting back up again.

The world of the Chosen really ticked me off for a while now and I found Cormia's "sinful" thoughts perfectly justified. About damn time something changed over there! Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the Chosen react to the changes.

As the story moves along we get glimpses from the lives of many of our heroes, preparing us for their own personal stories further on - I'm already wondering about many of them. We also see the characters from previous books interact with them, although they're only little scenes that create a complete and complex world around our characters.

The mystery at the beginning of this book wasn't really a mystery since it was kind of obvious and as usual the way of writing can be overly dramatic at times, but all in all a very enjoyable series that I intend to keep on reading.

[Alyssa]

Oh, I ♥ you, Thenia. Nice review. :-)

[Thenia]

Alyssa wrote: "Oh, I ♥ you, Thenia. Nice review. :-)"

Thank you Alyssa! ^^ Are you all caught up with the series? Do you think I should keep on reading or take a break for a while?

[Alyssa]

I've read through #7, which is Lover Avenged. I've ended up spacing them out, because I was getting them from the library. It's been working pretty well.

[Josie]

I'm the same Alyssa, I read them when they're available in the library too which means the space between them is a few months. So far I'm up to #7 which I'm surprisingly excited to read - Rehvenge (sp?) has really grown on me since his appearance in #6 :)

[Vi]

I finished by Seanan McGuire for the Urban Fantasy shelf.

Date Finished: 04/10/11
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
Review: In this first book, we are introduced to October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who works as a PI with a live-in fiance and a daughter. Her liege's wife and daughter are missing and Toby is asked to investigate. In the process of investigation, she gets caught by two purebloods and is turned into a fish. No one knows. And suddenly 14 years later, the curse just lifts off by itself.

After the curse lifts off, she's disoriented. The whole world is shocked at her return from so-though death. Her fiance and daughter ignore her return since she can't give them a satisfactory reason for her disappearance (they don't know she's fae). And all Toby wants is to pretend nothing has happened. She ignores her liege's invitation and calls, her childhood friends invitation. It takes one of her close friend's death and her subsequent curse to bring her back to the Faerie land.

I'm a huge fan of this series. I'm doing a re-read of the series to read #5. That said, I think this book is the weakest in the series. The prologue is strong but after she comes back from the curse, we are fast-forwarded to 6 months later. The events that took place in the interim are given as a internal monologue (This book has first-person narration).

This meat of the book takes place in less than week and during that period we are introduced to so many characters, so many monologues of their relation to Toby that it sometimes is hard to keep them straight. It is hard to relate to the side characters which is such a shame. On the other hand, the world-built is very good. We get a strong feel for the faerie world and how difficult the survival is for changelings caught in between the two worlds but belonging to neither.

At the end of the book, while I was not that impressed by Toby, I was invested enough to continue the series. And the books do keep getting better, if one can give this series a chance.

[Josie]

Just to let you know, I'm about half way through my urban-fantasy book (Covet by J.R. Ward) so I should be finished by the time the next shelf is called.
We really need to focus on UF since if Paranormal Romance is called then we'll be racing Double Trouble for Bingo. This probably won't happen but you never know so we might as well make the potential race next week a bit easier.